New York City FC Takes Hudson River Derby to Advance in U.S. Open Cup Play
MLS New York City FC

New York City FC Takes Hudson River Derby to Advance in U.S. Open Cup Play

Published on April 29, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York City FC News Release


New York City FC takes a bow
New York City FC takes a bow
(New York City FC)

New York City FC secured a commanding 3-1 Hudson River Derby win over the Red Bulls to advance to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals. Goals from Kai Trewin, Raul Gustavo, and Thiago Martins-all assisted by Maxi Moralez from set-piece deliveries-sealed the victory.

Match Recap

The Hudson River Derby took center stage on Wednesday night as New York City FC and the Red Bulls met in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

A place in the quarterfinals awaited the winner, as Pascal Jansen made three changes to the team that took on CF Montréal over the weekend.

Among the changes was his first start of the season for Malachi Jones as he continued his return from injury.

The visitors started the game well and were rewarded with the lead inside the opening 10 minutes through Kai Trewin's first goal for the Club. The Australian international rose highest to power home a corner from Maxi Moralez.

That lead would last just five minutes, however, as Julian Hall restored parity. The young forward was found free inside the area by Cade Cowell to put the ball past Freese.

New York City FC almost retook the lead in the 23rd minute when an in-swinging cross from Jones was flicked toward goal by Nicolás Fernández Mercau-his effort drawing a great save from John McCarthy.

Matt Freese was then called into action minutes later as he produced a brilliant save to turn a curling effort from Jorge Ruvalcaba around the post.

The Boys in Blue continued to push for a second and found it in the 39th minute. Scored by Raul Gustavo, the goal was a carbon copy of New York City's opener, with Moralez finding the Brazilian at the near post from a corner to head home.

Jansen opted to make one change at halftime, introducing Talles Magno in place of Jones-the Brazilian having produced an impressive hat trick in the last round to set up this Hudson River Derby meeting.

A third goal seemed close, and it arrived in the 57th minute through a third set piece.

Once again, Moralez proved to be the architect of the chance, as Thiago Martins added his name to the scoresheet.

It was almost four in the 64th minute after a wonderful front-to-back team move allowed Moralez to play Nico Cavallo through on goal. Unfortunately, the defender's attempt at a dinked finish did not come off.

Set pieces were proving a profitable avenue for New York City, and they almost made it 4-1 in the same fashion. In the 72nd minute, Fernández Mercau's in-swinging corner forced McCarthy into a nervy punch that was eventually cleared.

The Red Bulls tried desperately to find a second goal, but often standing in their way was a dogged New York City backline, clearing away any ball that entered the box.

Jansen turned to his bench a second time in the 87th minute, introducing Andrés Perea in place of Moralez.

The Red Bulls sought to create a set piece goal of their own in the 90th minute, but Freese did brilliantly to claw the ball away from danger.

New York City FC's final change of the night saw Arnau Farnós replace Fernández Mercau in second half stoppage time.

That would prove to be the last act of note on the night, confirming a huge 3-1 Open Cup win for New York City FC in the Hudson River Derby, and confirming their place in the quarter-finals for the third time in Club history.

How We Lined Up

What's Next

Next up for New York City FC is a meeting with D.C. United on Sunday, May 3. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00PM ET.

Check out the New York City FC Statistics

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Images from this story

New York City FC celebrates a win over the New York Red Bulls
New York City FC celebrates a win over the New York Red Bulls
 New York City all smiles after a goal against Red Bull New York
New York City all smiles after a goal against Red Bull New York
 New York City FC takes a bow
New York City FC takes a bow



Major League Soccer Stories from April 29, 2026


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